Abstract:

This paper focuses on the implementation of a Study Skills Training Program (SSTP) in K15 to K18 students and in the analysis of its impact on testing performance. It describes the implementation of an intervention program built among the application of a study skills, test-taking skills included, training program distributed along a school-year length period.

This study has four main goals:
(i) to know high school student’s perceptions concerning their daily study skills and test-taking skills;
(ii) to implement SSTP within the same population;
(iii) to assess the impact of SSTP in students test scores and
(iv) to evaluate the SSTP impact on the daily students learning and test-taking preparation.

The SSTP attempts to guide students on:
(i) adopting the most effective learning techniques;
(ii) planning specific goals and tasks during test studying;
(iii) managing their study time;
(iv) enhancing their study using the best study skills and
(v) using worthwhile test taking tricks and memory tips.

The European Commission’s Cedefop glossary (Cedefop, 2008) defines a skill as the ability to perform tasks and solve problems. According to OECD (2015), all students should leave education systems with skills that contribute to their easy employability, so it is important to identify students with the lowest skills and thus the most at risk of failure, and therefore they should benefit specific support from schools. Dunlosky et al (2013) consider the importance of students to adopt effective learning techniques that improve their school achievements. Therefore, it is crucial that schools in 21th century develop study skills strategies in their students to prepare them to a future employment. This program involves the SSTP intervention within a sample of 102 secondary students and 2 tutor class teachers. It was adopted a quasi-experimental design, with non-equivalent groups, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the SSTP intervention in a real secondary school context.

The following quantitative methods were used in this study:
(i) 2 questionnaires (study skills online students’ survey), before and after SSTP intervention;
(ii) students global testing average scores, before and after SSTP intervention.

As qualitative methods it were developed 2 instruments:
(i) SSTP’s sessions students’ progression checklist;
(ii) semi-structured interview, during and after SSTP intervention, to the 2 tutor class teachers and randomized selected students.

All formal procedures were performed with local education authorities. Data collected from students, before and after SSTP intervention, as the students’ questionnaires and global testing average scores were analysed using the software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v.23).At this moment the project is on progress among the considered sample. It has already been applied, during October/November 2016, the first questionnaire, study skills online students’ survey, before the SSTP intervention. From the questionnaire analysis it seems to be detected difficulties on text, writing and production, key-words and concepts finding and relations. It occurred a significant increase within test scores with the SSTP project (p=0.006).Though this project will continue to be assessed, with the fulfilment of the SSTP’s sessions students’ progression checklist, as well conducting the semi-structured interview, during and after SSTP intervention, to the 2 tutor class teachers and to aleatory selected student.

Keywords:

Study skills training, study techniques, test taking tricks, study skills program intervention.